'I'm not naïve': Hugh Freeze knows Auburn needs to start winning soon

AUBURN, Ala. -- Jeremiah Wright has experienced a small spot of everything since arriving astatine Auburn successful 2020, conscionable not a batch of winning.

"Four antithetic coaches, COVID, quarantines, a torn ACL, immoderate ups, but a batch of downs, excessively galore downs," Wright said with a reflective laugh.

"It's taken a batch of patience."

And cipher needs to archer Wright, a sixth-year elder violative defender for the Tigers, that patience is arsenic abundant successful the realm of SEC shot arsenic flowing streams are successful a desert. That's particularly existent astatine a spot similar Auburn, which is 1 of conscionable six programs nationally (Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU and Ohio State are the others) to person won astatine slightest 1 nationalist rubric and played for different implicit the past 15 years.

It's besides a program, arsenic Hugh Freeze enters his 3rd play arsenic coach, that has suffered done 4 consecutive losing campaigns and won much than 9 games lone erstwhile successful the past 7 years. Auburn has gone much than 3 afloat seasons without being ranked successful the AP poll, the program's longest specified drought successful 47 years. That level of irrelevance doesn't beryllium good with anybody connected the Plains.

"There whitethorn beryllium 1 feeling extracurricular our complex, but I tin archer you there's a overmuch antithetic feeling wrong our complex, what we're moving toward and what Coach Freeze is building," Wright said. "We're a batch person than radical deliberation to getting Auburn backmost to wherever it's expected to be, and that's winning championships."

WHEN FREEZE TOOK the Auburn occupation successful 2023, helium said it would instrumentality 3 afloat recruiting classes to get the team's endowment level to a constituent wherever it rivaled the upper-tier programs successful the league. The Tigers' past 2 recruiting classes were ranked successful the apical 10 nationally by ESPN, and Auburn besides scored large successful the transportation portal this offseason with the No. 7 people successful the ESPN rankings. In the rankings of this offseason's newcomer classes, combining transfers and incoming freshmen, Auburn was No. 3.

"I consciousness a batch amended than I person astir our talent, our size, athleticism and depth," Freeze told ESPN. "But look, we inactive had chances to triumph immoderate large games against immoderate truly bully teams the past 2 years and didn't get it done. That's the information of it, and we can't tally from that arsenic coaches. I ain it careless of what the endowment was oregon wasn't.

"I inactive judge we request 1 much [signing] people to get to wherever we request to be, but I don't consciousness immoderate panic."

In a programme successful which dysfunction has tally rampant astatine times and the alleged cooks -- influential donors and trustees -- person thrown their powerfulness astir successful a crowded kitchen, Freeze said helium has received thing but support. Auburn paid its past 2 caput coaches, Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin, a combined $36.8 cardinal successful buyouts erstwhile they were fired.

"The radical present astatine Auburn person been great," Freeze said. "I mean, there's thing that would ever astonishment maine successful this league, but we've got to spell vie and beryllium bully capable to triumph immoderate of those games this twelvemonth that we haven't successful the past two.

"I'm not naïve."

Freeze's boss, diversion manager John Cohen, says helium is much focused connected what Freeze is gathering and however he's gathering it than his 11-14 grounds (6-13 against power-conference teams) implicit his archetypal 2 seasons. Freeze's predecessor, Harsin, was 9-12 (4-11 against power-conference teams) earlier being fired 8 games into his 2nd play successful 2022, giving mode to interim manager Cadillac Williams for the last 4 games.

From the clip Harsin was hired to the commencement of Freeze's archetypal play successful 2023, 48 assistance players left, and 10 of the 18 signees from Harsin's 2021 recruiting people coiled up departing -- factors not mislaid connected Cohen erstwhile helium surveys the archetypal 2 seasons nether Freeze.

"There are 2 ways I measure our shot programme close now: Do we inactive person the kids successful the locker room? And the reply to that was a resounding yes astatine the extremity of past year, particularly with the mode those kids helped successful the recruiting process. And No. 2: Are we so evaluating and recruiting top-10 classes? And the reply to that is yes," said Cohen, a two-time SEC Coach of the Year successful shot astatine Mississippi State earlier getting into administration.

"If those 2 things are happening successful this league, you are going to person eventual success. I bash deliberation we started from down the 8 ball. I'm not being captious of the kids who were present and stuck it out. I'm truly arrogant of that. But we did not person Auburn-type endowment here, and it was evident that thing was happening wherever kids were moving successful and retired of this program. Our elite kids present astatine Auburn are not leaving the programme anymore."

Auburn had 23 players depart via the transportation portal this offseason, but lone a fewer were expected to beryllium regular contributors for the Tigers during the 2025 season. Bradyn Joiner was a part-time starter astatine violative defender a twelvemonth agone and earned Freshman All-SEC honors. He transferred to Purdue, portion Caleb Wooden, who started six games astatine information past season, transferred to Arkansas.

Freeze has been much progressive successful the transportation portal aft admittedly being dilatory to accommodate to it erstwhile helium archetypal got to Auburn. That hesitancy was 1 of the reasons helium hired Will Redmond distant from LSU to beryllium the program's wide manager of subordinate unit pursuing his archetypal play with the Tigers. Auburn signed 19 players retired of the portal successful the 2024-25 cycle, and 4 are expected to play pivotal roles connected discourtesy this season: backmost Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), violative tackle Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech) and receivers Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) and Horatio Fields (Wake Forest).

"The happening you spot is the competition, the mode guys spell aft each different connected the signifier tract and clasp each different accountable," said Singleton, 1 of the top-rated portal receivers aft catching 56 passes a twelvemonth agone for the Yellow Jackets. "We cognize what we're susceptible of and that we person the endowment to bushed anybody."

Singleton grew up watching Auburn football. His cousin, Darvin Adams, was Cam Newton's apical receiving people connected the 2010 nationalist title team.

"I cognize what this programme is about, and that's putting successful the enactment and past taking it to the tract and winning," Singleton said. "That's the Auburn I grew up watching, the Auburn I privation america to get backmost to, truthful being a portion of this programme means a batch to me. I'm present to assistance that turnaround."

A MORE TALENTED roster should help, but Freeze said playing with much efficiency, consistency and subject volition beryllium captious if the Tigers are going to triumph immoderate of the games they couldn't decorativeness the past 2 seasons.

Not that anybody connected the Plains needs a reminder, but it took a occurrence touchdown pass successful the last seconds by Jalen Milroe connected fourth-and-31 for Alabama to bushed Auburn successful the 2023 Iron Bowl, which came conscionable a week aft the Tigers suffered an embarrassing 31-10 location nonaccomplishment to New Mexico State. In that aforesaid season, Auburn was tied with Georgia precocious successful the 4th quarter, rushing for 219 yards against a stacked Bulldogs defense. But the Tigers couldn't halt Brock Bowers connected Georgia's 75-yard touchdown thrust successful the last minutes and mislaid a 27-20 heartbreaker astatine home.

Last season, Auburn mislaid 3 games by a touchdown oregon little and was victimized by turnovers. No nonaccomplishment amended illustrated the Tigers' 2024 play than the 27-21 location setback to Oklahoma. Auburn squandered an 11-point pb aboriginal successful the 4th quarter, and the decisive stroke was a 63-yard interception instrumentality for a Sooners touchdown connected a Payton Thorne pass.

The Tigers finished 120th nationally successful turnover borderline and mislaid an SEC-high 22 turnovers. And with regular place-kicker Alex McPherson missing each but 1 crippled with ulcerative colitis (he's steadfast and backmost this season), Auburn was besides past against SEC contention successful tract extremity accuracy (8-of-17) and past successful reddish portion discourtesy (16-of-24). The Tigers scored conscionable 8 reddish portion touchdowns successful 8 SEC games.

Based connected ESPN workfellow Bill Connelly's postgame triumph expectancy, a look that determines however apt a squad was to triumph based connected a game's cardinal statistics, Auburn should person won astir 8 games (7.8) alternatively of five, making it the astir underperforming squad successful the country by that metric.

"We did a batch of the things that get you beat, and yet we inactive averaged 6.7 yards per play connected offense," Freeze said. "Only 4 different power-conference teams averaged more."

Those 4 teams -- Ole Miss, Ohio State, Miami and Louisville -- were a combined 43-12.

"And past determination was us," Freeze said.

Despite each that yardage, the Tigers scored 17 oregon less points successful six of their 12 games. One of the priorities successful the offseason was to fortify a passing crippled that enactment up decent numbers (sixth successful the SEC with 251.5 passing yards per game), but failed to nutrient successful cardinal moments and had 13 interceptions successful 12 games. Early successful the season, the Tigers shuffled backmost and distant betwixt Thorne and Hank Brown astatine quarterback, and 9 of their 13 interceptions came successful the archetypal 5 games.

Auburn volition look to Arnold, ESPN's No. 3 wide imaginable successful the 2023 class, for an upgrade astatine QB. Things didn't truly click for Arnold astatine Oklahoma. He was benched successful the SEC opener against Tennessee past season, and though helium returned to the starting lineup astir a period later, it was a struggle.

The Sooners were decimated by injuries astatine receiver and allowed 46 sacks, which ranked 132nd nationally. Arnold besides had 3 antithetic violative coordinators astatine Oklahoma, and helium said coming to Auburn is simply a much-needed reset. How good helium bounces backmost volition spell a agelong mode toward determining whether the Tigers are acceptable to marque a determination successful the SEC.

"I cognize it didn't spell the mode helium wanted astatine Oklahoma, but you ticker him rotation it and the mode helium tin widen plays, and he's precisely what we were looking for," Freeze said.

Freeze plans to walk much clip with the quarterbacks connected the signifier tract this autumn and said helium volition telephone astir of the plays (offensive coordinator Derrick Nix volition telephone some). Freeze delegated a batch of those responsibilities erstwhile helium took implicit the programme arsenic helium tried to instal his infrastructure.

"I deliberation it's captious that Jackson and each of the quarterbacks are proceeding my thoughts," said Freeze, noting that existent freshman Deuce Knight was highly awesome this spring. "I similar what I've seen from Jackson, and we request him to person occurrence aboriginal on. I deliberation helium could truly catapult from that."

One of the astir improved groups connected the squad should beryllium the receiving corps, and Freeze said Thorne unfairly took the "brunt of the deal" past play implicit the Tigers' struggles connected offense. To beryllium fair, scoring points has been a occupation successful some of Freeze's seasons astatine Auburn. The Tigers person scored 21 oregon less points successful 10 of his 16 SEC games. By comparison, erstwhile Freeze had things rolling astatine Ole Miss successful 2014 and 2015, the Rebels scored much than 30 points successful 9 of their 16 SEC games.

"There were times past twelvemonth wherever Payton was acceptable to propulsion the trigger connected thing that should person been there, and we whitethorn person been a small young astatine receiver and didn't rather tally the close extent of a way oregon the close route," Freeze said. "The quality I spot close present successful Malcolm [Simmons], Perry [Thompson] and adjacent Cam [Coleman] is monumental. They're starting to recognize the crippled and the system. I deliberation Jackson is going to beryllium the beneficiary of that."

Auburn has spent handsomely connected its 2025 roster, successful the $20 cardinal range, and Freeze admits to having a amended knowing of however it each fits together. Following the 2023 season, the Tigers were successful the moving for backmost Cam Ward, who coiled up transferring from Washington State to Miami and was 1 of 4 finalists for the Heisman Trophy past year.

"I conscionable didn't cognize if that was the close happening to bash [paying millions to Ward] due to the fact that it was truthful caller to me," Freeze said. "So you're sitting here, and astatine the clip you deliberation you're moving disconnected a definite number, and I wasn't the benignant and neither was our collective, to propulsion things retired determination that we weren't definite we could do. I was large connected gathering the people from the precocious schoolhouse ranks and chose to truly absorption connected the precocious schoolhouse kids and thought we could triumph with Payton ... and we had our chances. But we were a batch much assertive successful Year 2."

Freeze besides is optimistic that immoderate caller and younger faces volition lend connected defence successful 2025. Cornerback Raion Strader (Miami, Ohio) and linebacker Caleb Wheatland (Maryland) are transfers who bring a batch of experience. Three existent sophomores -- linebacker Demarcus Riddick, cornerback Jay Crawford and information Kaleb Harris -- person All-SEC potential, and Freeze loves what helium has seen from his freshman class. Linebacker Bryce Deas, cornerback Blake Woodby, information Anquon Fegans and antiaircraft tackles Malik Autry and Jourdin Crawford could each marque contiguous impacts. One of the much improved players connected defense, according to Freeze, is elder Keyron Crawford, who volition play the hybrid "Buck" extracurricular linebacker position. This was the archetypal outpouring signifier with Auburn for Crawford, who transferred from Arkansas State aft the outpouring past year.

"I similar our personnel. We've been capable to get astir of the guys we wanted and support the guys we wanted," Freeze said. "The retention portion is arsenic important arsenic anything."

Freeze said the summation of Redmond -- who helped physique LSU's roster and was named FootballScoop's Player Personnel Director of the Year successful 2022 -- soon aft the 2024 wintertime portal closed has freed him up to coach, not beryllium bogged down successful discussions astir NIL deals, and beryllium much progressive successful the day-to-day cognition of the program.

"I discontinue talking to players astir money. I was walking retired determination to signifier and looking astatine them different, coaching them different," Freeze said. "Now, I'm inactive successful the loop obviously, but I archer the players up front, 'I don't attraction what you make.'

"It's similar the aged saying, 'I don't attraction what they paid for the horse, but I'll determine erstwhile the equine runs.'"

Freeze, 55, was diagnosed with prostate crab successful February and said successful a batch of ways helium sees the bigger representation with much clarity than helium erstwhile did. His doctors told him that his crab is simply a debased assertive type, truthful Freeze volition hold until aft the play to determine whether he's going to person surgery. At that point, doctors volition reexamine his information and crippled a people of treatment.

"I'm successful a bully place, and I consciousness the aforesaid mode astir our shot team," Freeze said. "It's the astir settled since we've been here."

One of his champion players, inferior antiaircraft extremity Keldric Faulk, agrees this is the astir unchangeable the programme has been since helium arrived arsenic a four-star enlistee from Highland Home, Alabama. But Faulk, who headed up a defence that finished 27th nationally successful scoring a twelvemonth ago, said there's a large quality successful "being settled" and "settling."

"We expect a batch retired of each other, much than anybody else," Faulk said. "We privation everybody to expect a batch retired of america due to the fact that we're not frightened to get onto each other. But the quality is we each cognize it's retired of emotion and pushing each different to get to wherever we privation to get, and not retired of hate.

"There's been excessively overmuch hatred -- possibly not hate, but disappointment -- successful the Auburn household lately, and it's connected america to alteration that."